Cat's Paw
by LaughingLefou
Summary: He wasn't angry at her for being rejected. No, not at all. He was, however getting really sick of being called a dunce. Evil? Yes, but revenge is a dish best served through proxy. Popcorn, anyone? (One-shot. Slight Arkos. Slight Weiss-bashing. Heavy physical Weiss bashing.)
_I do not own RWBY. That belongs to Rooster Teeth and Monty Oum, may he rest in peace._

 **Cat's Paw**

Pyrrha sighed.

She'd been doing a lot of that lately. Mind, she did it away from her own team, or from anyone in general, but still, it was getting harder and harder to hide her frustration. The source of her irritation, exasperation and introspection wasn't her combat skill. She was still on top, still one of the best students, far and above anyone in her year. She was pretty certain she could be sparring with 4th years if she really wanted a challenge. The source wasn't her grades either; she was pulling As in all of her classes, and the homework had been steadily declining through the months.

No. The source of her discontent was a single person. Her partner and friend, Jaune Arc.

She wasn't... _angry_ at him, per say. Just, sometimes she really wished that he'd finally take a damn hint. What did it take to get him to notice her? At this rate, she was half tempted to simply walk out of the shower sans clothes, just to see his reaction. Was he not interested? Was that it?

That was up in the air. He had never said anything against her. Hell, he'd embarrassed himself at the school dance just for her. When she'd semi-confessed to him afterword, Jaune had responded positively, but after the dance, he'd never said a word regarding their relationship. Nothing had changed. It was seriously staring to drive her crazy. If he wasn't interested, she wished he would tell her. If he was, she wished he'd make a move.

The flame haired Spartan drummed her fingers on the oak desk she had been sitting at within Beacon's library. She'd taken to hiding away in the library for some peace and quiet, as well as a chance to do some deep thinking. What was it about her that Jaune didn't like? Was she too tall? Were her breasts too big? She knew it was foolish, worrying so much about such a trivial thing, but…

She could not deny the yearnings of her heart.

Pyrrha sighed again.

"Lien for your thoughts?"

The Spartan's head whirled around so quickly, she swore she almost gave herself whiplash. Standing beside her, holding a few textbooks in hand, was Weiss Schnee. Jaune's former crush. At least, Pyrrha _hoped_ it was a former crush. Jaune hadn't bothered to try to hit on Weiss, sure, but she didn't know if Jaune's affection toward the white haired heiress had cooled yet. "Oh, i-it's nothing. Really." Pyrrha tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, and Weiss had to fight the urge to smirk. By this point in their friendship, Weiss could tell that the Spartan was lying.

"It's the Dunce again, isn't it?" Weiss rolled her eyes, taking a seat opposite the redhead.

Pyrrha frowned, but hid it by lowering her head onto her arms, obscuring her expression. "Would it kill you to be a little nicer to Jaune. I mean, he _has_ stopped hitting on you..."

Weiss recoiled slightly, but sighed and nodded. "You….you're right. Old habits die hard, I suppose. Still, I can't help but call him such when you're sitting here looking like he just broke up with you."

Pyrrha looked back up and gave a wry chuckle. "We'd have to be dating for him to break up with me in the first place."

The heiress drew her lips into a thin line, rolling her eyes. "I won't say anything in your taste in men, but I will say that you could do better."

Another sigh.

"Thank you, _Weiss_." Pyrrha muttered, once again putting her head on the desk. A few moments of silence passed between them before Weiss once again caught Pyrrha's attention by giving her own sigh, as if she were giving into an unspoken demand.

"Alright, how does this sound. I need to talk to the dun-" Weiss stopped herself, clearing her throat. " _Jaune_ and apologize to him about the way I mistreated him while he was courting me. I admit, I'd been...less than kind to him, and his affection was genuine, if misplaced. While I talk to him, I can bring up the idea of dating you, and you can listen in to hear his true thoughts on the matter."

"What?" Pyrrha asked, looking back up again, cocking an eyebrow. "Look, I appreciate the thought, but-"

"But nothing." Weiss cut her off, "For one of the strongest Huntresses of our year, you're acting a bit like a coward." Pyrrha shot bolt upright in her seat, mouth opening and closing like a goldfish in shock and offense. Weiss took the opportunity and pressed her advantage. "Look, I'm not telling you to just walk up and confess. I understand that you don't want to ruin what you have currently with Jaune, so I'm giving you an opportunity to find out Jaune's feelings and make that first move yourself, or not, with that information in mind."

Pyrrha blinked and closed her mouth at last. After a few moments of contemplation, Pyrrha sighed one more time and nodded. "F-fine. It would be better than contemplating what could be over and over again."

Weiss smiled. "Glad to see you're seeing reason, Pyrrha. Don't worry. Just stay behind me, and listen in when I talk to Jaune, alright?"

 **[DR. OCTAGONAPUS, BWHAAAAAAAAAAA!]**

"Jaune?"

Jaune Arc, Hunter-in-Training and scion of the Arc family, turned on his heel to the sound of the voice. "Hm?"

Weiss walked up to the young blond with her award winning smile, even though inside, her heart was pounding. She was dreading this day, but she needed to apologize to Jaune if she was to fully redeem herself in the eyes of her team. She'd no longer be the bitchy, stuck-up, selfish little girl she had been when she first arrived at Beacon, and the first step to showing that, would be to swallow her pride, and finally apologize to Jaune. "I was hoping to t-talk to you." Weiss managed to reply, almost stumbling over her words.

If Jaune noticed, he didn't mention it. "Sure, I got time. What's up, Weiss?"

"Well..." Weiss looked around, not only to make sure that no one else was listening, but to make sure Pyrrha was. She caught a glimpse of Pyrrha's emerald gaze in the shadows behind her, hiding behind a couple of large pillars. The heiress turned back to Jaune, clearing her throat. "I…I wanted to apologize."

Jaune tilted his head. "Er, for what?" he asked confusedly, scratching his head.

Resisting the urge to face palm, or simply walk away, Weiss shook her head. "For..." She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "For mistreating you back when we first met."

"Mistreating? Wait, wait, _you're_ apologizing to _me_?" Jaune cried out in surprise.

The heiress glared at him, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "Excuse me? I'm trying to extend an olive branch and you insult my effort?"

"Whoah, nononono!" Jaune waved his hands in front of his face defensively. "What I'm trying to say is, you've got nothing to apologize for!"

It was Weiss' turn to blink confusedly and respond with a flat, "What?"

"Look, I get it. I really do. I was really being annoying, and in all honesty, I was jumping the gun on trying to get into a relationship with you." Jaune began, scratching the back of his head nervously. "I should have just tried to be friends with you first, and I should have taken no for an answer, but I was being foolish. You have every right to be angry with me."

Weiss blinked again and she gave a soft smile after a few moments of contemplation. "Jaune, I...I'm very impressed. For a dunce, you can be surprisingly sharp at times."

 _Twitch_

She almost missed it, as it vanished as quickly as it had appeared on his face, but Weiss swore she could see Jaune's eye twitch in fury at being called a dunce, but it was so quick, she wondered if she had actually seen it. Jaune cleared his throat and replied, "Yeah, well...I can surprise you from time to time."

Silence.

Then; "So..." Weiss began innocently, "Have you ever possibly considered dating anyone else?"

Jaune shrugged. "Like anyone would want to date me?"

Weiss tapped her foot and looked off to the side, trying to resist the urge to smile knowingly. "Well, you might be a dunce, but even dunces can find love in the most unlikely of places. You might be surprised to know that I know of someone who happens to have quite the interest in you."

The blond's eyes widened. "Wait, really? Who?"

"Ah, ah, ah. I'm not at liberty to say. However, I can say she's been interested in you for _quite_ some time. Even while you pursued me." Weiss couldn't resist the urge to smirk. She couldn't see Pyrrha's face, as she had her back turned to where Pyrrha was hiding, but she could only imagine the Spartan's expression. "I can tell you, she's a lot closer to you than you'd think. You spend an awful lot of time around her on a daily basis."

Jaune rubbed his chin in thought, then; "Isn't Ruby a bit young for me? Not to mention Yang would kill me..."

" _It's not Ruby, you dunce!_ " Weiss snapped.

Blue eyes narrowing in irritation, Jaune began to bring up a retort from deep within, and found the words dying on his lips. It was hard to see, because she was in the shadows, but Jaune could see a pair of green eyes peeking out from behind a pillar. A glimpse of red hair could also be seen dipping back behind the pillar, and suddenly it became perfectly clear.

 _Pyrrha?_ Jaune thought to himself, feeling a ton of bricks hit him at once. Sure, he'd suspected, but...to have it confirmed?! _YES!_ Jaune had to fight the urge to leap up and down for joy. She was obviously here to find out what Jaune thought of her. Though, he wished she hadn't used Weiss to deliver the message. Sure, he'd gotten over Weiss by this point, but Jaune hated the fact that she kept calling him a dunce!

Then...an evil thought came to mind.

"Wait, _Pyrrha?_!" Jaune shouted incredulously, acting as surprised as he could. Mind, he was awfully surprised in the most pleasant way, but he needed to make Weiss believe that he had no idea what-so-ever.

Weiss glared at him. "What, is there something _wrong_ with Pyrrha?!"

Jaune shook his head hard. "No! Not at all! Pyrrha's...she's..." Jaune looked up to see Pyrrha's face once more peek out. " _Amazing._ She's incredible in every way. Gorgeous, smart, kind, funny, and she's interested in some of the same stuff I am. She puts up with my stupidity and my stubbornness, and she's always been by my side. No one is perfect, but, well, she's as close as you can get to it." His eyes flickered briefly up to catch Pyrrha's expression, and felt his heart melt when he noticed the redhead practically glowing with joy.

"Then why haven't you asked her out, you dunce?!" Weiss snapped, ice blue eyes wide.

Fighting the urge to grin wickedly, Jaune decided to make his move. Revenge was sweet, but revenge by proxy was even sweeter. He turned his hands upward and shrugged, giving a sad sigh. "Weiss, if there's one thing my terrible attempt at trying to court you has proven, it's that I should _never_ try to ask out girls who are out of my league."

Weiss froze. "Wait, what?"

"Yep. You taught me that. I mean, what was I thinking, trying to go after someone like you? And Pyrrha? _Waaaay_ out of my league. Not even going to bother trying." Jaune faux sighed, trying to act depressed. He glanced up from behind his bangs, noticing that Pyrrha's expression had gone from, 'going to heaven,' to, 'plotting a murder.'

Obviously Weiss must have felt Pyrrha's killing intent behind her, because the heiress went pale as her hair, and began to simper, laughing with a high-pitched, nervous chuckle. "J-Jaune, j-just because it d-didn't work out between us, d-doesn't mean that you should g-give up on anyone else! I'm s-sure Pyrrha would be delighted to date you-"

Jaune cut her off, biting his tongue to keep from laughing out loud or smirking evilly. "No, no, I understand. Honestly, Weiss, I have to thank you for helping me learn that lesson. People like me don't stand a chance with women like Pyrrha." Jaune reached a hand forward, placing it on her shoulder and gave her a brilliant smile. "Thanks to you, I can avoid making a total fool of myself." With that parting shot, Jaune turned on his heel and began to walk way, smirking evilly to the sound of Weiss' stammering and trying to explain herself. Unfortunately however, Jaune quickly moved away, leaving Weiss standing there, shaking.

A hand fell upon her shoulder with an iron grip, and Weiss Schnee felt her blood run as cold as the ice she summoned in combat. "Weiss?"

"Y-yes, Pyrrha?" Weiss squeaked, unable to look up to meet her friend's gaze.

"I believe that you and I should have a very nice girl-to-girl talk..." Pyrrha's voice was sacchrine sweet, but the death threat behind her words were crystal clear.

Weiss gulped, and whimpered. She hadn't been planning on fighting today, but that decision was going to be made for her…

 **[Girl Talk Is...Good?]**

 _Whack!_

 _Wham!_

 _CRACK!_

"Jaune?"

The blonde looked up, to see his friend and teammate, Lie Ren, walking up to him, his attention on the distance ahead. Jaune was sitting on a bench, staring further out onto the empty cafeteria floor, watching as one Pyrrha Nikos proceeded to thrash Weiss all over the room, practically smearing the heiress all over the floors, the tables and even the walls. " **I'm sorry!** " Weiss cried out, even as Pyrrha used her spear to impale Weiss by her dress and send her flying into the wall.

"Why is Pyrrha beating Weiss within an inch of her life?" Ren slowly asked in an incredulous tone of voice. He then paused and looked down, eyes widening. "And are you eating... _popcorn_?!"

"Yep." Jaune muttered, reaching into the striped paper bag on his lap for a handful of popcorn, shoveling it into his mouth. After chewing and swallowing, Jaune then added, "As for why Pyrrha is currently using Weiss' hair as a mop, and her spear as the mop handle," Jaune explained with the same tone of voice one would use to describe the inner workings of a toaster, "Is because I managed to trick Pyrrha into thinking that the reason that I haven't asked her out yet is because of Weiss shooting me down, making me believe I had no chance with her."

Ren blinked. "What?"

"Yep." Another handful of popcorn was shoveled into Jaune's mouth as he continued watching the beat down of the century.

"W-why would you do that? Is this some sort of revenge for her rejecting you?"

"Nope. I'm totally cool with that."

"Then why would you trick Pyrrha into doing that?!" Ren was practically shouting.

He was met with a few moments of silence, then, "I'm getting really tired of being called a dunce."

More silence.

"Remind me never to piss you off, Jaune." Ren murmured. Then, "Wait, so you know that Pyrrha-"

"Oh, no worries about that," Jaune muttered. "I'll ask her out when she's finished with Weiss."

Ren shrugged and smiled. "I'm sure she'll be ecstatic to hear that."

"I'm just psyched that she actually likes an idiot like me."

"An idiot wouldn't use a cat's-paw to get revenge for constant verbal abuse."

Jaune grinned. "True enough."

 _CRUNCH!_

 _ **CRACK!**_

 __" **OH DUST, MY SPINE DOESN'T BEND THAT WAY! HAVE MERCY, PYRRHA!** "

More silence between the two men.

"Popcorn?"

Ren shrugged again, and sat down next to his friend. "Sure."

 _ **Author's Note: Just a quick little one-shot that's been floating around in my head. No, I don't actually hate Weiss, but it's nice that she's getting some comeuppance for treating Jaune like the village idiot. The idea came to mind when I realized that Jaune is FAR smarter than anyone gives him credit for. Just realize that, in the span of literally one semester, Jaune has gone from not being able to even hold his sword correctly, to decapitating Ursa's without even blinking an eye by the end of Season 3.**_

 _ **Yep. He's learned in three/four months what Ruby, Yang, Pyrrha, ect, probably learned in four years at their preparatory schools.**_

 _ **Be afraid of Jaune. Be VERY afraid.**_

 _ **And remember to leave a review!**_


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